


Call Of The Mountains

by floatingpetals



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Injury Recovery, Mother nature has a plan, Multi, Threesome - F/M/M, Were-Creatures, Werewolves, hiking adventure gone wrong, little bit of alpha/beta/omega dynamics, this was supposed to be a fun vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2020-10-24 07:10:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20701982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingpetals/pseuds/floatingpetals
Summary: Life had begun to overwhelm her. Work was insane and her life was a mess. There was a tug in her soul that called her to take this trip, deep into the forest away, where there was the peace and stillness of nature. She didn’t know why, but she knew she needed to listen. It was meant to be a relaxing trip, but one misstep on some moss sent her tumbling into the rapids of the flooded river. She thought she was gone and the earth decided it was time to reclaim her. She didn’t expect was to be pulled from the river nor the creature that saved her. Her entire world is turned upside down and all it took was an accidental step to the left.





	1. Chapter 1

This wasn’t a really bright idea. She knew it. However, that didn’t stop her from packing up her car with a tent, duffle bag filled with essentials and enough food for a week or so in a bear-proof cooler. She needed a break. Things had gotten crazy at work and life was stressing her out to where she was nearing her breaking point. If she didn’t take this vacation, she’d lose her ever-loving mind.

Fortunately, her boss understood and gave her the time off she wanted. The very next day, Y/N packed her car up, let her friends know she was going to be gone without cell reception for a week or so and drove off towards the mountains and forest. There was a campsite she and her family had been to a few times before; they were more outdoorsy than her, but something was calling to her. A little voice inside of her was craving to be surrounded by nature and away from society, tugging her towards the distant mountains. She needed to unplug and unwind. And so far, the little voice hadn’t steered her wrong.

The drive was long, but it helped her being to decompress and leave the stress behind her. The closer she drove, the thicker and taller the trees began to grow. Eventually, she reached the exit her mother wrote on a sticky note. Very quickly Y/N felt a peace wash over her as she took the quiet country road towards her destination.

She checked her location on her phone and noted her service was at one bar and kept dropping, not that she minded. She was about half an hour from the turn into the reserve and still had a few hours left of daylight. Good, she’d be able to pitch the tent and get a quick dinner started before the sun began to set. Maybe she could go for a quick dip in the river nearby. It had a lovely waterfall that flowed from a spring somewhere along the mountain. It was the perfect place for her to unwind.

Half an hour later, a smile spread across Y/N’s face when she spotted the sign and entrance. The ranger at the booth at the reserve’s entrance was happy to help point her in the right direction, chatting with her for a moment and explaining how things worked. She was one of the few campers there, and while she might run into one or two if she went out hiking, the campsite she requested was far enough away she didn’t have to worry about seeing people all the time. Just what she wanted. He did, however, warn her that due to a large amount of rain they were getting, the rapids in the river were quite high and fast in the area and to make sure she kept an eye on where she stepped on the soft ground beside it.

Following the directions the ranger gave, Y/N drove further into the reserve and was unable to keep herself from admiring the green around her. Living in the city meant she got very little to none of this. True there were trees here and there, but nothing like this. Parking her car in the marked spot beside the site, Y/N stepped out and took in a deep breath of the clean crisp air. No loud sirens or shouting filled in air, or the smog and dingy stale air from the city. All she heard was the sound of the trees swaying in the breeze and the happy chirps of the many birds in the canopies. The weather was supposed to be sunny and relatively cool, with a slight chance of clouds later in the week. The perfect weather for camping in the perfect setting. Yep, she thought, this was what I needed.

The unpacking took her a little longer than she thought. The tent was new, one of the dome ones big enough to fit six people. Her father bought it on sale, something about it being almost 70% off and he just _had to get it._ The tent was comically large for Y/N, both in height and width, but she wasn’t going to complain. She didn’t want to go out and spend an inordinate about of money for one camping trip. There’s no telling when the next time she’d get a chance to do this again. Her father was also the one that gifted her with the cooler, which he reminded her to keep in the car locked up tight at night as well as a few lanterns, a swiss army knife, plenty of matches and lighters, a few jugs of water, a camping GPS tracker, and the fishing poles Y/N doubted she’d use. But considering she had no idea what she was going to do while here, Y/N didn’t argue. Her mom wasn’t so sure about this, going out alone into the woods, but Y/N just needed to do it. That tug kept growing inside of her and the only way to make it stop was to answer the call.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. After the slight struggle figuring the tent out, Y/N made a quick dinner with her packed food and started getting her things ready for sleep later that night. But first, Y/N wanted to go find the waterfall with the scenic pond that turned fed the river. Going off what the ranger said, Y/N assumed the waterfall would be much larger than the last time she’d been. She had plans to go back in the morning but didn’t want to wander around trying to find it.

So lacing up her hiking boots, she snagged a flashlight in case it got darker sooner than anticipated and followed the little marked trail that led her through the woods. The trail was familiar. She hadn’t been here in a few years, and normally her parents would camp further down the river, but once she found the main trail that followed closely alongside the riverbank, Y/N knew where she was. She paused at the sight of the much higher waters, the usually calm waters roaring with life. The ranger wasn’t joking about the current. It looked like it could drag a person under and downstream before anyone had a chance to blink.

Keeping a close to the trail along the forest, away from the soft edge, Y/N walked against the stream of the river and towards where the waterfall should be. Usually, when she was alone with her thoughts, Y/N would find herself full of anxiety, constantly thinking over everything and anything that could go wrong in her busy life. She hated how her mind fought with itself, constant warring with her about this and that. Trivial meaningless things she’d have little to no control over. Yet right now, with her breathing calm and her footsteps unusually light, there wasn’t a single anxious thought insight. The forest seemed to soothe her as if a spell was cast when she stepped foot on the land.

As she began to turn a corner, Y/N heard the waterfall first. It was roaring, echoing off the mountain beside it and the rocks and trees surrounding it. She felt a little flutter of excitement as she turned the corner and gasped. What was usually gentle and slight, the waterfall was twice its size. It caused a cooling mist to form at the bottom, shrouding the little clearing. Where the water pooled was twice in size as well. She spotted the top of a rock she would usually settle on beside it nearly submerged five feet from where the water line began. Fortunately, there were still plenty of places to sit and read around the area, the waterfall loud but not overly so. It was just enough to keep her thoughts at bay in case they crept back in sometime later in the week.

As she stood there staring in awe about how quickly nature can turn from mellow and serene into an impressively dangerous beast, a strange feeling took over. At first, she couldn’t quite place it. It sort of felt like someone was watching her. Frowning, Y/N turned from the waterfall, eyeing the surrounding forest across the water.

The sun had begun to set, leaving shadows to grow under the trees. With the added combination of the mist, Y/N couldn’t make out the other side very well. But the feeling was still there, growing heavier as whatever it was watched on. It wasn’t angry or even annoyed. No, it didn’t make the hairs on the back of her neck raise. Instead, it was almost curious, watching and waiting to see what she’d do next. It made Y/N want to see who it might be, so she chanced a step towards the water. Her eyes followed the waterline, looking and searching.

A shadow moved out of the corner of her eye. It made her jump, her attention snapping towards the spot. She couldn’t have been certain, but she swore she saw a large shape through the trees. Squinting, Y/N tried to make out what it was. But a bird cried loudly behind her, startlingly loud. It caused her to jerk and jump away from the edge of the water, surprised at how close she had gotten without realizing it. She glared at the smug-looking bird that sat on a low branch staring everywhere but at her and turned back to the shoreline on the opposite side. However, the feeling and whatever ever was there was gone.

Letting out a sigh, Y/N deiced that was enough excitement for the night. She shot once more look over her shoulder before heading back towards the way she came. Shaking the strange feeling off, Y/N decided not to dwell on it. It was the first day, there was no point in worrying about something she may or may not have seen. It was just a trick of the light, she tried to reason. Either that it was another hiker who happened across the same spot as her. Yeah, she thought, that was it.

The forest was a mysterious thing. It had its secrets, both good and bad. More often than not, the visitors that would come through never saw the magic that it was made of. There were a lucky few that would see the enchanting wonders it held, whether they stumbled across it or the magic was brought to them. Then, there were the unlucky ones who could see how unforgiving mother earth could be. The trails could lead her down many different paths. It was up to her to determine which direction she would end up taking and what the Earth had decided.


	2. Chapter 2

Right as the sun began to peek through the trees, the sound of birds mixed with the leaves swaying above the tent gently woke Y/N. She blinked slowly, a tiny smile growing across her face. There was no worry about having enough time for breakfast, no worry over the agenda for the afternoon. It felt nice not having to set ten alarms to make sure she woke up in the morning. If only that could be a daily occurrence.

Y/N rolled over on her back, stretching with a happy moan before she exhaled noisily and melted into the collection of blankets she brought. She knew it would get cold at night but didn’t expect it to drop as low as it did. Fortunately, she had some forethought to throw a bunch of her favorite blankets in the car just in case. At some point last night, she woke because of the chill and had to make a quick run for the blankets. Along the way, she was stopped short by the distant howls of a wolf pack somewhere in the mountains.

Standing in the middle of the forest with just a flashlight in her PJs and unlaced hiking boots, a tendril of fear shot up her spine. However, the longer she stood and listened the less terrified she became. There was something hauntingly beautiful about their calls. There wasn’t a hunt, no urgency in the air. To her, it sounded as if the pack was just singing to the moon that hung full above them. After she grabbed the blankets, Y/N snuggled under the covers and fell asleep listening to the howls in the air. It never dawned on her that wolves weren’t supposed to be there.

Now she wondered if her hiking through the woods might mean their paths would cross. Shoving aside the concern, Y/N pushed off the blankets. First, food and coffee, then she’d worry about the wolves that would most likely never bother her. She changed into jeans, a tank top, and a button-down flannel before she unzipped the tent and stepped out into the cool dewy air.

Opposite to where she pitched her tent, there was a pre-dug firepit encircled with stone. She didn’t need the pit at the moment, but one she smoothed out the area of the leftover charred wood and kindling, it made a perfect spot for her to place the packable burner grill her mom slipped in the trunk. It took her two trips from the car before she set up the little stove and started boiling some water.

First, she filled her French press, which she was NOT going to leave behind, and then started with her oatmeal. Not her favorite breakfast in the world, but throw in some honey, cinnamon with dried cranberries and it wasn’t half bad. It was also a nice change in pace that she didn’t have to scarf her food down to run out the door. This morning she sat and munched contently while watching a family of robins high in the trees.

Now that she fed herself and had enough coffee to reboot her system, Y/N quickly cleaned up and put everything away before heading to get her pack from the tent. She double-checked she packed it right with her books, water, flashlight, trail mix, protein bars, and anything else she thought would come handy. Satisfied she’d be prepared to get lost in the woods for a while, Y/N zipped up the tent and made her way back up the trail towards the waterfall.

There was something in the air today, a buzzing of excitement that wasn’t there yesterday. Like the Earth knew thrilling things were going to happen and was impatiently waiting for it to come. Y/N hadn’t the faintest clue of its plan, yet as she grew closer to the water, she couldn’t stop the pep in her step. She had no idea why and didn’t really care at that point. She was in a fantastic mood and nothing was going to stop her high.

When she came up to the river, it was still flowing as strongly as yesterday. She was surprised the water level hadn’t dropped much. It must have rain harder up at the top of the mountain than further down here to keep up this flow. The waterfall was the same as well, still as strong and tremendous as yesterday. Nothing seemed to sway the charge in the air.

Y/N stood and stared in awe once again. Nature and it’s beauty never ceased to amaze her. Despite not being one for the outdoors in her younger years, as Y/N grew, she learned to love and adore the wonders of nature.

Readjusting her pack, Y/N went to go sit along a set of rocks, spotting one with a flat top that was large enough for her to spread out on but paused. There was that strange tug again. She frowned and stepped back away from the rocks, unconsciously listening to the tug as it pulled her somewhere else. Slowly, she looked around the area, but each spot her eyes landed on felt… wrong. It wasn’t until she spotted a tree with a soft mossy patch underneath that stood out to her. It wasn’t too close to the water, just far enough she wouldn’t have to worry about stepping too close to the edge but close enough she could feel the gentle spray from the water. Perfect.

Setting her bag beside the tree, Y/N sank to the ground with a comfortable sigh. She took a moment to watch the waterfall before digging in her bag for her book. She tucked the water bottle against her leg for later and picked up where she left off in the pages. It had been too long since she’d been able to just sit and read. Once she got into her groove, Y/N found herself lost in the pages surrounded by the ambiance of the water and the sounds of the trees. She didn’t pay any mind to the rest of the world until the sun was high in the sky and her stomach let out a low rumble.

“Crap,” Y/N muttered to herself and glanced up at the sun. “I don’t think I’ve ever checked out that long.”

Shrugging, Y/N set her book aside and reached inside her bag. She pulled out the bag of trail mix and a protein bar, munching happily on the food, occasionally digging out the M&Ms from the mix. Y/N was untroubled and content but still felt like something was missing. Or rather, someone.

Odd that was the first thought that popped into her mind. Maybe it was the fact that she spent all morning alone sitting under a tree with a book, or perhaps the fact the past few months she had been alone every morning, afternoon and evening. Y/N groaned and rubbed her temples. Okay, maybe a little bit of solitude wasn’t completely the best. Since now she wasn’t worrying about work and the stress that came with it, nothing was left to hide her perpetual singleness from her. The quiet was nice, but sometimes it was too quiet. It was clearly leading to problems.

Grumbling to herself, Y/N forced herself to ignore the voice. This wasn’t why she was here. Not like she could do anything about it anyways with literally no one around. She wasn’t going to wallow in her self pity and mope about not having a boyfriend. Nope. Not today.

Y/N tucked the bag of trail mix back in the pack and reached for her water bottle. As she tipped back the bottle, the same feeling from the night before came back. That prickling in the back of her neck, the feeling of a set of eyes on her. Curious and watching. Y/n froze, the water bottle touching her lips. Slowly, Y/N lowered the water bottle and squinted over the pond, searching for the owner of the eyes.

She herself was curious now. Maybe it was a deer or some other animal that was just passing through and caught sight of her. Perhaps a hiker that decided to go off-trail?

Hesitantly, Y/N began to stand, and the feeling of the eyes followed her every movement. The tug came back, willing her to get a closer look. Her feet followed blindly, as if in a trance, and her eyes never strayed from the trees. It wasn’t too thick, but the shadows seemed to all blend together. The trees swayed in the breeze, the mist from the waterfall made the distant hazy and difficult to see through. But as she stopped just short of the shoreline, her feet inches from the water, she could have sworn she saw not one, but two shapes in the shadows.

Tall and foreboding the shadows were much larger than any human beings frame. Y/N sucked air in sharply, the shock rattling her enough to snap from her bizarre trance. Her gaze snapped down to her feet and she stumbled backward, her mind reeling at how she willingly stepped without care. One more step forward and she would have tumbled straight into the water that would have unforgivingly pulled her straight in.

Rattled, Y/N didn’t even spare a glance at the shadows. Instead, she turned heel and snatched up her discarded water bottle. She shoved it into her pack and hastily stood. _I have no idea what the hells going on, _she thought, _but I need to get the fuck out of here._

Stepping around the tree, Y/N began her trek back to her campsite, her insides twisting. That was too close for her comfort. There was a number of things going through her head and she was more than a little freaked out over the whole thing. Her mother always drilled it into her to keep an eye on your surroundings, especially around wildlife. They spook easily and can snap on a dime.

So if she had been paying attention, as her mother instructed, she would have caught the sound of angry screeches coming from two birds fighting in the air above her. She would have noticed when one dove to get away from the other, steering straight towards her. If she was paying attention, Y/N could have ducked and stepped to the right. Out of the way of the birds and away from the riverbank.

However, that’s not how Y/N reacted. Once more lost in her thoughts, she missed the birds and their shrill cries. The bird dove to escape, narrowly turning it’s small body away from her face by mer centimeters.

Y/N let out an unflattering scream that shook the trees and leaped out of the way before she was gouged in the eye by the second bird that chased after. It wasn’t until it was too late that Y/N realized her mistake. Her boot hit the soft wet moss on top a rock, the grip on her soles not made for the slippery step. Her foot shot out from under her, and her pack that was heavy with the items she made sure to keep on hand for her survival, tipped her backward into the rushing waters below.

It all happened so quickly; Y/n had no time to react. The shock of the cold water seized her muscles, the water-filled her lungs as she let out an involuntary scream. She fought against the river, but it was as unforgiving as the weight of her pack. The rapids drew her down and under, towards the midstream where the water flowed the fasted and the deepest. Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom and the surface was feet above her.

The current hurled her further down the river at a speed that sent her mind reeling. Somehow, she managed to swim to the top, her arms screaming as they fought against the strength of the flow. She spat up the water and gasped for air however before she could let out a desperate cry for help, the river pulled her down once again.

Y/N struggled and fought, frantically trying to get back to the surface. But the river didn’t care. It threw her around like a rag doll, the light from the surface taunting her above in the frigid waters. Her lungs were screaming to get air, but she couldn’t take the breath she so needed. She was panicking, out of control and sinking. Her limbs began to give up, no matter how hard she struggled. Horror dawned on her, that this was her last moments. There was no way she could get out of this. As if to agree, the river decided the game was over.

She distantly felt something sharp slam against the back of her head, the pain far worse than the way her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Lights exploded behind her closed eyes. Her arm was thrown back and slammed against the same sharp edge rock her head did as the river dragged her passed, the sickening crack of her wrist jolting her back to consciousness. She gasped in shock, sucking in water as she did. She was too tired to fight anymore though, her body going limp as she accepted her fate.

Y/N thought she was going to die that day, drowning in the river all because of a fucking bird. As she tumbled into unconsciousness, she missed the sound of something jumping in the water. The current was strong, but whatever grabbed the back of her pack was stronger. It dragged her up to the surface and back to the shoreline.

The Earth was impatient today, but not to take a life. No, it had other plans in mind, and it needed the young woman alive. The birds stopped their quarrel to watch from the trees above as the woman lay unconscious below them. The being that pulled her limp body from the water began compression against her chest, trying to force the water from her lungs the best way it could. Silence seemed to take of the forest as the creature worked, frantically trying to resuscitate the woman.

The being didn’t give up until Y/N violently began to cough up the water from her lungs. There was a sigh of relief in the forest, even the forest itself worried their game might have gone too far. The being nudge her to her side.

For Y/N, waking up was more agony than almost drowning. It felt like there was a fire in her lungs and throat, the water she swallowed burned as she threw it up. Her head throbbed and her wrist was screaming in pain. Everything hurt and yet felt so numb all at once. Her vision started to tunnel. Her body woke only long enough to expel the water from her lungs, but the biting pain was too much. Y/N heard and felt something behind her, warm and soft. Blearily, she rolled over to her back. 

Y/N briefly wondered if the hit on her head knocked a few screws loose. Because that was the only explanation for what stood over her. Still dripping wet, her savior was a massive black wolf with startling grey intelligent eyes. It blinked slowly and lowered its muzzle to sniff her carefully. Nope, It’s the delirium from the pain, she reasoned as she fell into unconsciousness. The wolf whined low in the back of it’s throat with concern.

A distant howl called out, wondering where it’s packmate had gone. Looking away from the unconscious woman, the wolf threw it’s head back in answer. It didn’t wait for a response before it dipped it’s head to roll Y/N onto her stomach. It gently worked her on to his back with surprising coordination. 

The birds in the trees chatter amongst themselves as the great black wolf turned carefully and disappeared into the thick forest towards the other wolves of it’s pack, somewhere in the mountains. They gossiped with each other, wondering the woman’s fate and as well as the strange vibrations in the air. The forest had things planned, and everything was going accordingly.


	3. Chapter 3

“You think this is a good idea?”

This was the first question that came out of her mouth when he walked into the clearing with the woman in his arm. She gripped the entire time he walked to the medical cabin and then the entire time he set the woman down on a cot. There was an answering sigh, weary and somewhat annoyed.

“No, but I don’t think there’s anything else I can do.” The dark-haired man answered in a rough baritone.

“You could just take her back to her campsite and leave her there.”

“With the giant gash on her forehead and the fractured wrist? No, that would be cruel. She’s alone out here and might need help. It’s the least I can do.”

There was silence in the room before the other voice, a woman, let out a sigh.

“Alright. Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing. You’re putting a lot of lives on the line having her here.”

“I don’t need you to scold me, Natasha.” The man snapped, a growl growing in his chest. “Now go find Bruce so we can get her wrist and forehead patched up. The longer you stand here and glare at me, the worse it’ll get for her.”

“Alright, alright,” Natasha grumbled, throwing her hands up in the air. “No need to go all Alpha on me. I’ll go find Bruce. But you have to tell Steve you have a human here. I might be your beta, but I’m not your messenger.”

“I thought that’s all you did since you keep running your mouth.”

“Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious Barnes.”

“Still talking.” Barnes snapped, though his tone was less frustrated than before. He knew Natasha was just teasing him, seeing as she was already headed towards the door. Natasha scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m going! Ass.”

A door opened and Natasha left, leaving the man alone in the room with the injured and unconscious woman on the bed. He let out a sigh and walked over to the counter to grab the gauze and alcohol swabs from one of the drawers. Her wound on the back of her head was still bleeding, not a good sign. Bruce would need to patch it up, along with putting her quickly turning purple wrist into a splint.

_Poor girl_, he thought while turning her head to the side. He heard her scream; he had only made it a few feet into the forest from where he left her and ran back just in time to see her being dragged under the water. He knew that if he didn’t get her out of the water soon, she would drown. The waters were unforgiving right now, and the number of sharp rocks that littered the water could do just as much damage.

His heart was in his throat as he ran down the riverside, constantly keeping his eye on her. He needed to get in the water to drag her out but he couldn’t until there was a spot where the rapids wouldn’t drag him in with. She had gone under for too long at one point, but then her head shot out and she struggled to gasp for air. It kicked him into high gear, running towards the turn that opened just enough to allow a lull in the rapids. But he knew when she didn’t return to the surface, something was terribly wrong. Throwing all caution to the wind, he leaped in after her.

That’s what lead him here, with the injured and helpless woman laying on the medical cot. She was alive but had yet to wake after coming to on the side of the riverbank. He frowned when he dabbed the alcohol to her wound and she didn’t even flinch at the burn. It was upsetting to see her in such a state compared to what he saw earlier that day.

He had no idea what drew him to her, but while he was roaming the territory the night before, he caught wind of her scent. Sweet and soothing, a smell he had to investigate. He came across her standing alone at the forest, staring in awe at the waterfall. He couldn’t help himself, feeling a pull that dared him to get a closer look. He assumed she would remain oblivious of him watching her, he was in the shadows and the sound of the waterfall muffled his footsteps.

However, as if she heard the twig snap under his feet, her attention turned to where he stood and she began searching for him in the darkness. His breath caught in his throat when she locked eyes with him. He felt something wash over him. An instinctual tug he had never felt before. He wanted to cross the distance, felt a burning desire to wrap her up in his arms. He couldn’t. She wasn’t one of them. It was wrong on every level and yet as the breeze brought him her delicious smell, the need grew. His body trembled and for once in his life, he was scared.

While he battled his own demons, she was staring straight at him, confused. She didn’t know what she was looking at. His own darkness blended in with the shadows leaving her unaware of the beast that stood before her. Good. The less she knew the better. A bird behind her let out a startling call, pulling her attention away long enough to let him slip back into the shadows.

He shouldn’t have gone back the next day. He knew it would have been stupid. Especially in the daylight. It was risky enough running around during the day, but it was supposed to be the offseason for hiking. The rain kept many away, but the clear weather for a few days tempted the few. Perhaps if he had ignored that tug, maybe buried his nose in the dirt when he caught in inviting smell in the wind today, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Maybe it would have happened despite him and she would have drowned in the icy water. Either way, what was done was done. He couldn’t take back his decisions now.

The sound of people arguing from behind the door cause him to stand, scowling at the raised voices. He went to open the door, but it swung open right before he could reach it. Two men and Natasha filtered in the room. The first, a thickly bearded blonde that compared to him in stature glared at the brunette before his eyes landed on the woman on the bed. Something softened in his gaze at her state, but it was gone when he rounded on the brunette.

“What the fuck were you thinking Bucky?” The blonde snarled. Bucky rolled his eyes, completely unfazed.

“I was thinking someone was in danger and hurt. I wasn’t going to let her drown.” Bucky countered.

Natasha quickly closed the door to the room, spotting a few nosey members sticking their heads out of their own rooms to the sound of raised voices. The other man, Bruce, ignored the two bickerings in the middle of the room and kicked into action. First stop the bleeding, the worry about everything else.

“Nat. Come help me with this.” He asked over their growls as he washed his hands in the sink. Natasha shouldered the blonde out of the way, who snarled but stepped aside for the bossy beta. Bucky remained root in spot, using his body to shield the woman on the bed. Steve wasn’t oblivious, he caught the way Bucky was protecting her.

“You should have taken her to the ranger station.” He narrowed his gaze. It caused Bucky to snort.

“That’s almost six miles from where she was. She had a gash on her forehead that wouldn’t stop bleeding and I’m pretty sure a fractured wrist. They don’t have the medical facilities there to take care of her, and the closet town is almost twenty miles away.” Bucky waved off his concern. “Not to mention the amount of water she swallowed when she nearly drowned. This was the closest and best place I could think of.”

The blonde kept his eye narrowed, his lips pulled into a thin line. Bucky had a point. While he struggled to find an argument, Bucky went on.

“Besides, she’s alone and I don’t think anyone’s looking for her right now. Even if her head wound wasn’t as bad as it was, she still hurt her wrist and I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone to take care of herself.” Bucky explained. “Would you feel right about leaving her there alone, Steve?”

Bruce and Natasha both paused to look up at Steve, waiting with bated breath for his answer. Steve looked torn. Everything was telling him that Bucky was right, but that little stubborn streak inside of him was telling him to keep the argument going. It had nothing to do with the fact that Bucky went over his head and made a decision without him. At least, that’s what the little voice was using as an argument. But one quick look over Bucky’s shoulder to the fragile woman being stitched up broke his resolves. He let out a loud, irritated exhale and threw his hands up.

“Alright. Fine. But don’t come running to me to fix this when it all goes to shit.” He groused. Bucky chuckled and shook his head. He somehow knew deep inside himself that this woman wasn’t going to be a problem. He hadn’t the faintest idea how he knew. He just did.

“And if it does, that’ll be on me.” He replied easily. Steve merely rolled his eyes.

“Don’t mean to interrupt.” Bruce began. The two men turned to Bruce who was wiping his hands on a rag. “Her gash was pretty deep, so I had to stitch it shut. We need to get her into the x-ray room to get her wrist checked out, but I’m worried she might have suffered a severe head injury as well. She didn’t even react when I injected her with the numbing shot.”

“Let’s get her wrist taken care of first, then we can worry about if we need to take her into town for a CAT scan,” Natasha said as she tossed the used supplies away. “Barnes, why don’t you pick her up and follow Bruce to the x-ray room.”

Bucky raised a brow at her. “Oh, so you’re making the orders now?”

“I do when you do something dumb and have managed to talk down the other Alpha in charge.” She replied smoothly. Bucky would have come back with something smart on any other given day, however, Natasha was right about one thing. They needed to see what was wrong with her wrist. Muttering under his breath about insubordination, Bucky scooped up the unconscious woman.

Bruce had to bite his tongue to tamper down his laughter. There was only one other person in the group that could get away with that kind of backtalk, but Natasha always knew when to pick her battles. Right now, it was clear that she was the winner. Natasha 1 Alphas 0.

He led Bucky down the hall to the x-ray room, a room that was only recently added and not needed often. It was mainly used on the animals they might have come across that had an injury of some sort. Their kind didn’t really need them. They healed within the day depending on the injury.

Bucky laid her on the table and stepped aside to let Bruce situate her arm and wrist to how he needed it. When it was time to take the x-rays, Bucky found it hard to rip himself from her side. Bruce had to drag him behind the protected wall, ignoring the stifle growl that came from Bucky’s lips. If he thought it an odd reaction, Bruce didn’t show it. 

Once the two minutes it took to get the pictures done were up, Bucky was back by her side and scooping her up in his arms once again. He couldn’t help but marvel at how small she looked compared to him. He was always big, that was a given with his genetic makeup. However, something about her being hurt and in his arms made her seem even smaller than she was. She had no idea what was going on, didn’t even know whose hands she was in.

“Why don’t you go ahead and put her back on the bed,” Bruce called from the computer where he was processing the photos. “I’ll be in in a minute after I check these out.”

Nodding, Bucky walked slowly back to the room. He took the time to look over her appearance, from the details on her face to the number of eyelashes she had. That pull was back. Only instead it wanted him to hold tight and never let go. For a split second, Bucky was willing to do that.

“Hey, what did Bruce say?”

Natasha’s question snapped him from the trance, startling him almost. He blinked at Natasha before he shook himself and reluctantly deposited the woman on the bed. Steve was leaning against the wall, watching Bucky’s strange behavior as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“Dunno. He said he be in after he looked them over.”

“Ah,” Natasha sighed. “That can’t be good.”

Bucky hummed and stood, willing himself to pull away. He couldn’t get attached. Not with her.

“Welp.” Bruce sighed as he walked in with a manila folder. He opened it and began sticking the x-rays on the view box on the wall. The three crowded around Bruce to look, and all three winced. “It’s not a break, but a pretty clean fracture. I’m hoping if we put it in a splint it’ll keep her from needing to go in and put rods to straighten it out. But if she overworks herself, it’s could turn into a clean break and lead to just that.”

“Well, that’s not what you want.” Natasha mussed.

“Nope,” Bruce said over his shoulder. He went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a new split, still in the package. Once again, they really didn’t need these often, but it never hurt to keep the medical facility stocked with things like this. Quick and as painless as possible, Bruce wrapped her injured wrist in the splint. “I’m going to put her on the IV drip since she lost so much blood. It might help bring her round. I say we wait another hour and if she doesn’t wake well take her into town to their hospital. She might very well be unconscious from the shock and all.”

He went about the room and grabbed an iv stand. Natasha didn’t need to be told twice and went to where they stored their IV bags. Bucky nodded, but couldn’t help but still feel concerned. He could only hope the crack against the rocks did less damage than it appeared.

“Well, if you have things taken care of here,” Steve started. “Bucky, I need to speak with you outside.”

Bucky scowled and shot Steve a glare. No way was he leaving her to wake up alone. But he could tell from the way Steve was glaring right back this might not be up for discussion.

“Now Bucky.”

Bucky growled at Steve’s tone. Despite it having the opposite intended effect, Bucky knew there was time and place for this. And in the room where the injured and weak woman who might wake up suddenly was not the place for it.

“Fine.” He snarled. Squaring his shoulders, he stomped over to the door. He nearly ran over Natasha in his exit, seeming less than concerned about that. “Let me know when she wakes up.”

Bruce nodded and watched with mild fascination as the two men exited, both looking ready to rip the other to shreds. He and Natasha shared an amused expression. Things were about to get interesting in their little group. And they were ready for the front row seat they were both going to get.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuckin’ FINALLY. I had this done for a while but an idea popped up in my head that I had to go and rewrite b/c it flowed better. It took a while to get to this point, and while it’s a little dry(sorry ya’ll) I needed to build it like this. I hope you all enjoy and thank you for being so patient! Let me know what you think!! Enjoyy! ❤

Y/N woke up in pain. It’s probably because I had to throw up the water in my lungs, she thought bitterly. It was an awful pain that she never wanted to relieve again. The next pain that ranked up there in the worst pain she’s known was the thrumming in her head and the excruciating pain in her wrist.

She groaned, her uninjured hand reaching up to feel the back of her head. She winced at the tender flesh and could feel her pulse through the spot on her head. Strangely she felt little plastic like strings- stitches she realized. That couldn’t be right.

That dawned on her that she was laying on something too soft to be the grass in someplace too quiet to be beside the river. A flash of black and vivid gray shot across her memory, the shape fuzzy and strange.

Blearily, Y/N opened her eyes. She was alarmed, but also incredibly confused that she was sitting in what looked like a doctor’s office. The walls were bare apart from a beautiful portrait of a mountain in a dark frame. Pulling her gaze from the picture, she looked around the room to take the unassuming room in. The door clicked open and a woman with blazing red hair stepped in.

She glanced up from the clipboard in her hand, rooted in spot when she saw Y/N awake and alert. A look of relief washed over her face and the woman went to shout down the hall.

“She’s up!”

Y/N frowned, her heart rate picking up as the panic began to settle in. She had no idea who this woman was or even where she was for that matter. Nope, not good. Her eyes darted to the window and back to the door before she looked back at the woman.

“Oh, hey. No, it’s okay. I’m a friend I swear.” The woman soothed and grabbed the little stool on wheels next to a set of cabinets. She rolled it up next to the bed, her eyes soft but wary. “My name’s Natasha. You’re in our medical cabin where you were brought after you were pulled out of the river. You were in pretty rough shape. You had a gash on your forehead that needed to be stitched up and your wrist has a pretty bad fracture.” Natasha explained. Slowly, she reached out to Y/N, ready to pull back in case the young woman panicked further. “I’m going to help you sit up, okay?”

Y/N nodded, thankful for some help while her body trembled from the shock of it all. Careful of her wrist, Natasha helped her leaned her back against the wall and swung her legs out in front of her. As she did that, a man with a white coat walked in. He greeted Y/N warmly with a smile before he went to the sink to wash his hands.

“Good to see you up.” He said. “We were getting worried for a second there.”

He grabbed a pen from his coat pocket, a little flashlight she realized when he clicked one end, and stepped up in front of her. He instructed her to look at the light to check her pupil’s dilations. Once satisfied, he turned and carefully took the IV drip from her arm and bandaged it up before she had time to blink. 

“I’m Dr. Banner, but you can call me Bruce.” He grinned. “What should we call you?”

“Y/N,” She replied softly. She winced at the burn in her throat. Bruce noticed and motioned for Natasha to get her a cup of water.

“And what year is it?”

“2019?”

“Correct. Well Y/N I wish we could have met under better circumstances. But I’m happy to report that you’ve lucked out and don’t have a very serious concussion. You’ll probably be good here in a few days, but I still want to check in on your progress from time to time.”

“O-okay?” Y/N said uncertainly. She took a sip from the cup Natasha handed her, still utterly confused. “Um… Where am I exactly?”

“Oh! You’re in Blackhollow, just a little way north of the reserve. We’re the closest place that has the facilities to handle your situation, so you were brought here.” He responded from the clipboard Natasha walked in with. Y/N’s face scrunched in confusion, both with who could have brought her here and where Blackhollow was.

She had gone over the map of the area countless times until she was certain she had it memorized. Absolutely nowhere was there a place called Blackhollow. Especially not north of the reserve. That she knew for a fact was all protect lands and there shouldn’t be places like this around the area. No one was allowed to break the land and build something here. Biting her tongue, Y/N watched the two warily, sipping on the water to hide her nerves.

“I’m sure you’re curious about the state of your wrist right now,” Bruce began, setting the clipboard down. “Natasha can you go grab some pain meds for her while I do that? Oh, and let Bucky know our patients awake.”

“Sure thing.” Natasha was already up and out of the door faster than Y/N had time to process.

“Wait, who’s Bucky?” She asked Bruce, who was now pulling out a set of x-rays from a folder. It caused her to pause, wondering when the heck they did those on her. “And how long was I out?”

“Bucky was the man who found you and pulled you out of the river,” Bruce explained and slid the x-rays on the lightbox. “And you’ve only been out for a few hours. We were about to have to get you in a car and take you to a nearby hospital to get you checked out if you didn’t wake up sooner. Fortunately, that didn’t need to happen.”

“Oh,” Y/N murmured and eyed the x-rays. “H-how did Bucky find me?”

Bruce shrugged, seemingly unbothered by that lack of information.

“He never said. Just that he pulled you out and brought you here. Although I am curious, how did you managed to fall the river?”

Y/N felt her face grow hot from embarrassment. She might be fuzzy on certain details afterward, but she definitely remembered that. Positively humiliated, she mumbled her story of how she was dive-bombed by two stupid birds and practically threw herself into the river to not lose an eyeball. Bruce at least tried to hide his grin by turning back to the x-ray.

“Well I’m sorry that happened but I’m glad you’re okay.” He said sincerely over his shoulder. “Let me go over your x-ray and then maybe Natasha will be back with some pain meds by now. I didn’t want to give you anything in case you were allergic.”

Y/N nodded and slowly stood, mindful of her wrist as she pushed off the bed. Bruce kept a careful eye on her, watching for any signs she might have a dizzy spell from standing. Her head hurt, well more like throbbed because of the concussion, but she didn’t want to throw up because of the spinning room. Confident enough in herself, Y/N walked over to stand beside Bruce and the x-rays.

He carefully explained the fracture and what might happen if she were to take the splint off. Not terribly keen on getting surgery, Y/N knew she’d be in some pain for some time until it healed. It also meant she’d have to explain to her mother why she got hurt and she already knew she was never going to hear the end of it. Y/N cringed and glanced at her wrist.

“Don’t worry too much about it. Accidents happen. I’m just glad Bucky pulled you out when he did.” Bruce tried to reassure her, somehow knowing she was starting to dread the future repercussions of her accident.

He was partly right. It was an accident, but she also kind of asked for it by standing too close to the edge. She stared guiltily at the wall, her shoulders dropping.

Bruce frowned and clicked the lightbox off. Before he could say anything else, there was a gentle knock at the door. Natasha opened the door and stepped in, a bottle of water in one hand and a cup with a few pills in the other.

“Take these, they’ll help your head and your wrist. I’ll make sure you have some for later.” Natasha instructed and passed her the little cup. “You can’t take any for another 8 hours and you shouldn’t drink anything while on them. And driving is out of the questions as well, at least until we know how you handle the medicine.”

Nodding mutely, Y/N took the pills, ready for her wrist to finally stop throbbing.

“I’ve gone ahead and sent Bucky to the main house. He’s going to get you some food started, we figured you haven’t eaten in a while.” Natasha said over her shoulder as she began to set out disinfectant wipes for the exam table. She wasn’t going to mention the reason why she sent him over was to cool down from his talk with Steve. Y/N didn’t need to meet that side of him, especially not for the first time. “I’ll walk you over and introduce you. He’s pretty anxious to know how you’re doing.”

“O-oh, okay.” Y/N blinked. Natasha grinned and motioned her to follow. Y/N turned to Bruce, who had taken up the cleaning duty and waved goodbye. “Thank you, for everything. I’ll probably see you later?”

“Yes. I’ll check in on you in a little while to see how your feeling. Goodbye, Y/N.” Bruce chuckled and waved her off with a happy grin.

Natasha led her out of the medical cabin through a side door and down a dirt road. Y/N took a quick glance around the area, surprised at how seamlessly the cabin seemed to blend in with the forest. She picked up her pace, not wanting to be left behind in a strange place.

“So how long has this been here?” Y/N asked curiously.

“That’s a bit of a newer addition, maybe two years?” Natasha replied. “We don’t usually need it all that often, but on occasion, someone breaks an arm or something and we got tired having to drive an hour towards the nearest hospital.”

“Oh,” Y/N muttered lamely. “And there’s a main house?”

“Yes, it was the first house built here in the area and slowly as others came to settle here, more homes were built. The main house is used as kind of the common area, or any time we need to have meetings we all meet up there.”

“So like a city hall?”

“Kind of,” Natasha shrugged, “We don’t really consider this a city, hell it’s not even much of a town. But yeah, it kind of works that way.”

“So,” Y/N frowned, still a little confused. “Is-… Would you consider this more of a settlement?”

Natasha looked over her shoulder to Y/N, her brow raised. A guarded expression flashed across her face and for a second Y/N thought she’d tell her to mind her business. Natasha, however, let out a heavy sigh and turned back to face the road.

“In a way, I suppose.”

Y/N fell silent, not entirely certain what else to say. She didn’t want to step on Natasha’s toes any more than she was already had. Clearly, the topic of whatever Blackhollow was, was a touchy subject. She still had several questions, but Y/N thought it might be a good idea to wait and ask someone else.

The road wound through the trees, finally connecting with another road to a form a ‘t’. The left went around a sharp curve while the right went straight and disappeared through the trees. Natasha stopped short, and Y/N nearly slammed into the back of her. She stumbled and let out a surprised squeak.

“Sorry,” Natasha said and turned to face Y/N. “Before we go any further though, I need to explain a few things to you.”

“O-kay?” Y/N replied uncertainly, her eyes darting around the unassuming-looking road. Natasha took in a heavy breath before speaking.

“Blackhollow isn’t a town like you’re used to. We like to keep to ourselves, it’s one of the reasons why we’re where we are.” Natasha began seriously. “A lot of the people here won’t take kindly to you being here and might try to scare you off. If you feel like you’re being threatened, you probably are.”

“What-?” Y/N’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes went wide, but Natasha kept going.

“I’m not saying this to freak you out, but you need to understand. We’re a different breed out here. A little bit more dangerous and rougher around the edges. We like our privacy and do things a certain way.” Natasha continued with her face blank. Y/N was at a loss for words, completely thrown for a loop.

Now she was nervous, not like she wasn’t before, but now it was tenfold. Her instincts were screaming at her to make a break for it, to run somewhere else other than were ever Natasha was leading her. Of course, there was the problem that Y/N had no idea where she was, and all the trees looked the same so the possibility of her running in circles was fairly high.

“Ordinarily I’d say, ‘so long as you follow the rules, the others shouldn’t bother you’,” Natasha looked Y/N up and down, tilting her head to the side as she contemplated something. “But, something’s different about you. Don’t know what, don’t really care. All I know is if someone tries to chest up you, you better stand your ground.”

“’C-chest up’ me?” Y/N gaped. Natasha chuckled again and turned to take the left route and began to head down the road. Not really wanting to be left alone in the woods as the sun was beginning to set, Y/N reluctantly followed.

“Yep, kind of phrase we use around here. Pretty much it’s when someone gets in your face and tries to puff out their chest.” Natasha explained, showing her what she meant by pulling back her shoulders and jutting her chin out. “A lot of the time it’s to see if the other persons willing to get in a fight or not. More often than not its all for show.”

Y/N squinted at Natasha in disbelief. No way this could be real. I mean, do people really act like this around here? She thought to herself. But Natasha hadn’t done anything to make Y/N question her yet.

Natasha sent Y/N one more wide grin before she turned a sharp curve. Y/N sighed and glanced around the trees for a moment before turning back to where Natasha went. However, when she turned the same curve in the road, Natasha was gone and something else that lay in front of her that caught her off guard.

There was a giant clearing where the road suddenly faded off, huge and very out of place for the middle of the forest. It was nothing but a giant open field up against the mountain with the occasional trees scattered in the area. She could see the sky above, the fading light shining on the peculiar empty field.

She was also surprised to see how close they were to the mountain. It helped that she spent time learning the map before coming and now she had a better idea of where she was. She was miles from the campsite if she guessed right. Worse still, there was no sign of Natasha.

Her heart stopped. Y/N’s steps falter as her eyes darted around the clearing. A prickling feeling began growing in the back of her head. Everything nerve in her body was screaming at her to turn away, to run and not look back. It was suffocating, making it harder to breathe. It was clawing at her throat, trying to get out in a scream. She hesitated in her next step, finding it harder and harder to ignore the overwhelming sense of fear. The noise in her head grew louder and louder, sweat starting to bead across her forehead. She didn’t want to keep going, but she also needed to find Natasha.

Taking in a deep breath, Y/N tried to shove aside the terror inside her and took two steps forward. The voice was at its crescendo, making her knees grow week and her head pulsed in pain. The hair on her neck stood on its end, once again Y/N questioned her sanity. But something else was telling her to do this. She was stronger than whatever this was. Blindly following the little voice that tried to soothe her through the screams of fright, Y/N willed herself to take one more step with her eyes clenched shut. The relief was instantaneous. It was like the bubble burst and the scream ceased to exist. Cracking an eye open, Y/N gasped.

Natasha stood right in front of her, a proud smile on her face. If her sudden appearance wasn’t surprising enough, it’s what was behind the woman that was the icing to the cake.

In what used to be the wide clearing were several quaint little homes, all set up along the road that mysteriously appeared under her feet. It winded along, and up the mountain, disappearing further from sight. She could see more houses up the mountain as well, speckled in the densely wooded forest. Her mouth fell open in shock, her brain reeling to find an explanation.

“I-I-Wh-. But this-. Wait-.” Y/N stammered, unable to form any coherent words. Natasha laughed, light and airy despite the situation. It was enough to bring Y/N back with a snap. “What the actual fuck?!”

“There’s a lot I can’t explain. Not yet.” Natasha beamed and walked to Y/N side. She loped her arm through Y/N’s and started to walk towards the biggest house in the middle, practically dragging the stunned woman with. It must have been the main house, from its placement and all. What was even more peculiar was the strange wooden people that stood directly in front of it. “But you’re not crazy. If that helps.”

“I don’t think that will.” Y/N uttered, unable to stop from looking around. There were a few people standing around, in what she thought might be the front of their homes. They stared, some with confusion on their faces while others seemed passive. No one dared to step closer and greet the newcomer though, which did little to ease Y/N’s nerves. “What the actual fuck?”

Natasha snorted, finding the entire thing rather comical. Y/N shot her a glare.

“It’s not funny. What the fuck was that?”

“Wow, you’re pretty colorful when you’re in shock huh?” Natasha giggled. She went to walk around the pole, but Y/N stopped short.

Now that she was closer, Y/N realized it wasn’t just a wooden pillar in the ground. Towering high above was an intricately decorated totem pole, the paint, and carvings still distinct despite being in the open. In fact, it looked almost untouched by the test of time. She couldn’t tell if there was a story, but she recognized a bird, a wolf, and a bear among some of the animals. It seemed to hum with an energy Y/N couldn't place, almost as if it was calling her to step closer.

“That’s been here since before I could remember,” Natasha said. Y/N blinked, the sudden interruption tearing her from the haze.

“O-oh.” Y/N cleared her throat and took a step back. If Natasha noticed the strange shift in Y/N, she didn’t comment. She ushered Y/N towards the step of the house by taking her arm back in hers. Y/N’s head swiveled around to stare back at the totem pole, thoroughly puzzled by the feeling she was getting from it. She eyed the strange markings on the back and had to do a double-take. It looked as if the marking began to glow and pulse, the grass bending with the ripple.

Nope, she denied. It’s gotta be the conclusion. That why I’m seeing things. Yep, lets just call it that.

Y/N didn’t know how much more she could take of this strange venture and as she stepped into the house that wasn’t there five minutes ago, she wondered just how much more was going to get thrown her way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gawd! You guys, ladies and non-bionary peeps! I did not forget about this! I just hit a rut for a few months (My dog had passed away suddenly and it hit my family and I HARD) So I had to take a break for a little bit and just could never get back into the writing like before. Instead of forcing it, I took some time to myself and got my life figured out. Now I have a big move in like two weeks and I'm super excited. Enough about my life story. I hope you all enjoy this next part!! It took me a while to finally get it finished( i can't write chapter breaks worth a DAMN) Now the ball can really get rollin' and we can get to the good stuff 👀👀 Enjoyy!!!

The main house was surprisingly large compared to what she saw outside. The front led into a giant open concept living room with the second-floor balcony wrapped around looking down with two handcrafted chandeliers lighting the space. Giant plush couches were laid out in two sitting areas, coffee table with stacks of books and blankets draped over the back of the couches. She eyed the warm fur rugs that laid in front of one of the televisions mounted on the wall and giant fireplace in the center of the room. It looked cozy, warm and incredibly inviting. Someone clearly wanted to make this a place where people could come and relax in a group.

Natasha led her around the living room and into the kitchen, where a heavenly aroma hit Y/N’s nose. Her stomach let out an incredibly powerful growl at the smell, causing her face to burn in embarrassment. Natasha stifled a laugh.

“I’m going to assume that sound means you like what you smell?” A deep baritone voice made Y/N stop short, her breath catching in her throat. The owner of the voice walked out of what she assumed was the pantry with a wide grin, a box of pasta in his hand.

“I can’t speak for her, but it does smell good Barnes.” Natasha greeted, walking over to the stove and the simmering pot.

Y/N stood rooted in spot, her eyes wide as she watched Natasha dip the spoon in the pot to taste the red sauce. The man clicked his tongue and waved her aside.

“Hey now. This isn’t for you, its for our guest.” He chided. Natasha rolled her eyes but stepped aside after deeming it suitable, sucking on the spoon as she went. The man grumbled at her for a moment before he turned to Y/N with a gentle smile on his face. “It’s good to see you up and moving.”

Y/N mouth fell open to answer, but she couldn’t get her voice to work. Her brain completely short-circuited at the sight of the man in front of her. The man’s shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a low bun that accentuated his sharp jawline shadowed with a scruffy beard. His bright gray eyes looked her over carefully, his gaze pausing heavily on her injured wrist before they slid back up to lock eyes with hers. He’s absolutely gorgeous, Y/N thought as she struggled to contain sigh.

“Oh yeah, Bucky this is Y/N. Y/N This is Bucky, the one who pulled you from the river.” Natasha waved from the sink.

A flash of black and grey eyes shot through Y/N’s mind, causing her brows to furrow. Something didn’t feel right with that sentence, but she wasn’t sure exactly what. Shaking off the strange feeling, Y/N stepped forward and stuck out her good hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” She cleared her throat in an attempt to hide how breathless she was. He looked down at her hand before letting out a chuckle and gently pulling her into a hug. Y/N was caught off guard, but not against being wrapped up in his arms. He gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go. 

“I hope you don’t mind; I’ve started cooking dinner. The only thing I can actually make is spaghetti and meatballs though. Figured you might want something to eat since you haven’t in a few hours.” Bucky replied sheepishly, waving to the pot on the stove. 

“No, that sounds amazing. To be honest, I’m hungry enough to eat you,” Y/N’s eyes went wide when the words tumbled from her mouth. Bucky let out a soft laugh, his cheeks twinging a soft pink while Natasha snorted with a smirk. Flustered, Y/N immediately began to backpedal. “No-wha- I mean, I’m just really hungry! I didn’t mean- No-.”

“It’s okay.” Bucky chuckled, patting her arm. “I know what you meant.”

He shot her a crooked grin that made her heart flip and turned back to the stove. He grabbed the box of pasta and nodded to island where there was a set of bar stools.

“Why don’t you take a seat. Nat, can you grab her something to drink and I’ll get the pasta started?” Bucky asked while he opened the box of pasta from earlier. Natasha nodded and Y/N took up one of the barstools. She distantly heard Natasha ask what she wanted to drink, although she couldn’t tear her eyes away from in front of her.

“Water’s fine.” Y/N mumbled absently to Natasha, watching Bucky as he moved around the stove. The simple black t-shirt he wore stretched snuggly over his muscles, and Y/N was definitely not going to ignore the lovely view of his back. She didn’t realize she was staring, however, until Natasha set a glass with ice water with a sly smirk. Y/N squeaked and mutter a thank you, tearing her gaze away from the wonderful display.

“Where did Steve go?” Natasha asked. Y/N let out the breath she was holding, grateful she didn’t tease her further. Bucky glanced over his shoulder, mid stir of the noodles. There was a sharpness in his eyes that melted when he caught Y/N’s eye.

“Dunno. He stormed out the back right before you two walked in.” Bucky replied shortly and turned back to the stove. Natasha let out a puff of air and dug her phone out of her pocket. Did they get cell service up here? Y/N thought curiously. She didn’t think there would be a cell tower for miles.

“Hey Y/N.”

Y/N perked up at her name, humming at Bucky. She didn’t see the way his smile grew at the sound and how his cheeks turned pink at the cute noise. He had to bite his tongue to hold back from giggling and cleared his throat instead.

“I know you’re hurt, but can you go in the bottom cabinet next to the fridge and grab the strainer for me?” He nodded towards the fridge. Y/N nodded and climbed off the stool to do as he asked.

“Want me to put it in the sink?”

“Please,” Bucky replied over his shoulder, pulling out a noddle to check if it was done or not.

Natasha watched Y/N from where she was perched on her own bar stool, a knowing look in her eyes when Bucky glanced back at Y/N. She had to stop herself from letting out a heavy sigh and rubbing her temples. She knew that look all too well. It meant trouble.

“Well, as much I would love to steal a plate, I need to go talk with Steve.” Natasha sighed, her phone vibrating in her hand. She rolled her eyes at the text and swung her feet off the stool. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“O-oh. Okay, bye, Natasha. It was nice to meet you.” Y/N blinked in surprise at Natasha’s quick retreat. The redhead waved to Y/N and left out the back door without another word.

The click of the door echoed in the room, the only other sound coming from the bubbling sauce and Bucky’s spoon stirring the boiling water. Y/N would admit she was a little nervous, being left alone with Bucky. It wasn’t that she was afraid he would hurt her, despite his massive intimidating stature. She was just worried in her stupor she’d say something ridiculous. Like how pretty his biceps were when he lifted the pot off the stove to walk to the sink.

“Sorry about Natasha,” Bucky said, shaking the excess water out of the strainer. “She’d not usually so curt, but a lot’s on her mind right now.”

“So she’s not always that… cryptic?” Y/N didn’t really believe that. Bucky paused and laughed after a beat.

“No. She is. She’s just usually less so on her good days.”

Y/N giggled and shook her head.

“Well, she wasn’t that bad. A little scary on the walk up here,” Y/N paused. “Actually. I have a few questions I’d really like an answer for.”

“Hmm?” Bucky replied absently. He was putting the noodles back in the pot and headed back to the stove to turn down the stove on the sauce. The meatballs were already done resting in the skillet and the sauce was ready to be served.

“How-What was with the field and there not being any buildings? And then it just appearing out of nowhere? And what’s with the glowing totem pole out front?” Y/N rubbed her temples, her mind reeling once again. She hoped Bucky might be willing to answer the several questions she had regarding the strange settlement. Or whatever this was called. “And why did I get a feeling of complete and total doom when I walked into the field?”

Bucky didn’t answer right away, instead, his back tensed at her question. All emotions slid off his face for a split second, his lips tugging down into a scowl. They were perfectly reasonable questions, questions any sane human would have after experiencing them. But it didn’t mean they weren’t something he was willing to answer. Yet. Bucky was quick to wipe the scowl off his face before he turned to Y/N.

“Do you mind grabbing the silverware from the drawer and setting the table? There in the middle drawer there.” Bucky skirted over her question and nodded towards the drawer in question. “Why don’t we sit in the breakfast nook. I don’t think we need to use the dining hall for just the two of us. I’ll fix you a plate.”

Y/N’s mouth fell open and quickly snapped shut. Why was it not surprising that he would completely sidestep the question? Not even sidestepped. Complete and totally ignored that she said anything. That seemed to be the recurring theme around here, being all evasive and crap.

Despite her simmering frustration, Y/N bit her tongue but did as he asked and walked over to the drawer. Grabbing a pair of forks and knives, Y/N walked over to the little nook he told her about. It was warm and cozy, much like how the rest of the house and set up with comfy cushions on the benches along with a number of pillows to lean back on.

She just picked her spot to sit when Bucky stepped up with two plates, setting one in front of her and the other opposite her. He went back to grab her glass of water and grabbed a beer from the fridge for himself. She mumbled a thank you when he placed the cup in front of her.

“Of course.” He replied with a wide toothy grin. “I hope you like it.”

“If it’s as good as is smells, it’ll be incredible.” Y/N tittered softly and picked up her fork. Even though she was desperately wanting answers, she couldn’t ignore her stomach practically eating itself over the smell of the food. Digging in, Y/N took a bite and had to keep from groaning aloud. “Holy shit, Bucky. This is amazing!”

“Thanks,” Bucky let out a bashful chuckle and poked at his food. His cheeks burned a soft pink as if he didn’t get complimented often on his cooking skills. Which was crazy, because this was some of the best she’s had in a while. There was a touch of hominess to it as well, comforting and familiar to her.

Y/N seemed to lose herself a little bit, taking another bite of the delicious food and did a little dance. When she opened her eyes, Bucky had leaned back against the pillows and was watching her have her moment with a giddy grin. Her face burned.

“I can honestly say, I’ve never had someone actually dance because of my food.” Bucky teased, wagging his brows. “And it was adorable.”

“Yeah well,” Y/N mumbled, twirling the noodles on her fork. “Consider it a huge compliment. I don’t dance for just anybody let alone someone I just met.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky replied with a smug grin. “I took it as one.”

“Alright, don’t get a big head.” Y/N rolled her eyes at his laugh. “One good meal doesn’t mean you’re the best.”

“You’re right,” Bucky nodded. “I’m just the one who made a great meal and saved your life, all in one day.”

Y/N blinked at him before she burst into giggles. He beamed and went back to eating his food, the smile never faltering on his face. Y/N would let him have that. He did deserve a little praise.

Just as quickly as she reached her high, she came crashing back to reality. The sobering memory of what happened just hours ago sent her crashing back to reality, shattering the sliver of solace she had. That’s right. There was a reason why she was here, sitting in the breakfast nook with a man she just met eating his food. Y/N took in a deep breath and set her fork down softly.

“I know I’ve said this before, but I need to say it again.” Y/N said seriously. Bucky sat taller in his seat with his attention firmly on her. “Thank you for saving me. I don’t remember what happened after I fell in the river, but I remember all of it before. I definitely haven’t had time to process it yet, but the feeling of complete hopelessness and sheer panic is something I’ll never forget.”

Bucky sucked in air sharply when tears started to fall from Y/N’s eyes. He tossed his fork aside and quickly stood to sit by her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her close, hushing her gently with words of comfort. She was safe, she was alive, and he wasn’t going to let anything harm her again.

For Y/N, it was enough to break the tight seal she was keeping on her emotions. She curled into his side and gripped his shirt tightly between her fingers as ugly, broken sobs wracked her body. Bucky let her cry, his heart breaking at the sound of her anguish. He ran his hand through her hair, nuzzling his nose against her head and reassuring her it was alright. That she could let go and he would hold her tight.

There hadn’t been many moments in her life that Y/N could remember where she broke down like this. However, this wasn’t a small matter. She nearly drowned, her life seconds away from being over. She was miles from home, in an area she barely knew, and the weight of what happened had finally settled on her chest. Any thoughts of this being remotely attractive never once crossed her mind. She didn’t care what Bucky would have thought about her after this. It was simply all too much to keep inside for much longer.

“It’s alright,” Bucky soothed. “You’re okay.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Y/N stammered through her sobs.

Bucky quickly shook his head and shushed her once again.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about sweetheart.” He spoke gently. “You’ve had a lot happen in the past 24 hours. It’s not healthy to keep that all bottled up.”

Y/N didn’t reply, couldn’t through her tears. She nodded and clutched tighter, desperately leaning against him for support. He would gladly give her any help he could. Including brushing her tears with a napkin and holding her tight.

It wasn’t until her sobs started to slow that Bucky loosened his grip to let her sit up. He passed her another napkin, which she thanked him with a watery smile. She wiped her tears and dabbed her nose.

“Sorry for crying all on your shirt.” She mumbled hoarsely. Bucky hummed and reflexively tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“Like I said, nothin’ to be sorry about. I’m surprised you lasted this long before it finally clicked.” Bucky grinned with a hit a pride. “You’re pretty damn strong if I do say so myself.”

Y/N scoffed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I guess.” She sniffed. She paused for a moment before exhaling softly. “Guess that’s another thing I get to thank you for.”

“You’re just full of those today, aren’t you?” Bucky teased. Y/N rolled her eyes, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

“Apparently just for you.”

“Guy could get used to that,” Bucky smirked down at Y/N. His breath hitched in his throat when she looked up at him. Puffy red eyes and all, he couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was. Clearing his throat, Bucky gave her a gentle squeeze and began to stand before he could make a complete fool of himself so soon.

“Hey, Bucky.”

The call from the side door made Bucky pause, a frown tugging on the corner of his lips. He wasn’t expecting him to come back any time soon.

“Kitchen,” Bucky called back and settled in his original seat, scowling at his plate of unfinished spaghetti. Y/N sat silently, a little bewildered at Bucky’s sudden shift in behavior. His jaw ticked when the sound of footsteps grew closer and he exhaled loudly through his nose.

A man came into the kitchen and stopped short under the gaze of Y/N and Bucky. He glanced over to the pot of pasta and the spaghetti and Y/N could have sworn there was a spark of excitement in his eyes. But when he turned back to Y/N and Bucky it was wiped clean.

“What can I do for you, Steve?” Bucky questioned pointedly. Steve’s eyes narrowed at Bucky and he took a step towards the table.

“Natasha barged in the house and told me to head over here. I didn’t know you were eating dinner though.” Steve nodded to Y/N, who wasn’t paying any attention to the two’s conversation in the slightest. She was rather blatantly staring at Steve his equally tight shirt and tight-fitting jeans.

No one could blame her. He was just as attractive as the man sitting across from her. Long dirty blonde hair, thick well-groomed beard, and bright blue eyes that landed on her. His eyebrow raised when he caught her gawking. Bucky cleared his throat, causing her to jolt at the sound.

“What?” She squeaked.

Bucky snorted, while Steve looked on mildly amused. He leaned against the island, crossing his arms across his chest. Slowly, he looked her over up and down before stopping on her face. He noticed the puffiness and redness to her eyes. He didn’t have to ask to know she had been crying moments before. Strangely, he felt unsettled at the thought of her being up. That made him pause. Why would he care if she cried or not? Then the image of her lying unconscious on the bed, weak and defenseless, flashed across his mind and his stomach churned.

“Y/N, this is Steve. Steve this is Y/N, the woman I pulled from the river earlier.” Bucky said, interrupting Steve’s thoughts.

“Hi,” Y/N said meekly.

“Nice to meet you.” Steve nodded with a small smile, forcing aside his contempt. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m… doing better. Wrist still hurts, but that’s to be expected.” Y/N replied, softly rubbing the brace. Bucky frowned and sat taller.

“Did Nat give you pain meds?”

“Yeah, she did. It’s just a little sore is all. Don’t mind me.” Y/N said with a wave of her good hand. Bucky scowled at her flippant tone and disregard for her obvious discomfort but didn’t press. Rather, he turned back to Steve and felt his hackles rise as the look on Steve’s face. The tension had slipped from his face as his eyes trailed over her form.

“What exactly do you need that can’t wait until later, Steve?” Bucky nearly bit out to gain Steve’s attention. Every protective instinct screamed to drag Steve away from Y/N. He had already made his disdain for the woman clear. Steve didn’t have the right to look interested.

Steve slowly blinked and tilted his head in Bucky’s direction. He was less than impressed with Bucky’s growl. He clenched his fist against his forearm and struggled to hold back an answering growl. He would have, but they had company. His mother didn’t raise a complete animal.

Instead, he tightened his jaw and took in a sharp breath through his nose. He faltered, catching a sweet smell that didn’t fit the savory smell from the dinner. It wasn’t too sweet, like a peach and cream sweet, soft and pleasant with a hint of cinnamon. The unusual smell made the beast inside him raised it’s head in interest. For a brief second, Steve felt panic bubble up to his chest. His beast never sat up in interest, at least not then.

He shot Y/N another cautious glance before he shook the thought. It didn’t keep the smell from lingering nor his beast pushing to get closer to the source of the smell. It had gained interest that wasn’t there before. He knew he needed to escape, fast.

“I-,” He began, his voice cracking from the strain. Bucky’s scowl deepened, his gaze darting to Y/N who was oblivious to the tension between them. She was too busy pushing her food around to notice. “Natasha mentioned about getting a room set up for our guest. In our house.”

That caused Bucky’s heart to skip a beat. Shit. He didn’t think about that.

“Oh.” Y/N blinked, realizing they meant her. “You don’t have to do that. I can just go back to my camp and stay there. It’s just a sprain.”

“You forget your concussion.” Bucky tilted his head, a tiny grin spreading on his face. Y/N’s mouth snapped shut. She totally forgot about that. Shit. Maybe she shouldn’t be alone for a little bit. “Tell her it’s fine with me. But I’m not the issue.”

His tone was sharp as he glared at Steve. The blonde glared back, less than impressed at Bucky’s tone.

“I… will admit I’m not too keen on a stranger sleeping under our roof, however, I’m not going to throw an injured person out in the woods.” He grumbled, speaking as if she wasn’t even there. Y/N would have been offended if she had the energy to argue. So far, she was getting that Steve had a pretty big issue with strangers and that the two men share a house, which would be her in his crossfire fairly regularly.

“And we are the only ones who have a room that would be willing to house her till Bruce gives her the all-clear.” Bucky stated simply, his eyebrow raised. Challenging Steve to argue further. It was true and he knew it. The others in the pack wouldn’t exactly be thrilled putting a human up in a spare room. It was already pushing it as it was having her here.

Steve didn’t respond, he didn’t need to. He knew before he walked in the main building he was going to lose this battle. But the alpha in him wanted to at least attempt putting his foot down with Bucky. He wasn’t the only one in charge of this pack, damn it.

“Look, just go tell Natasha to get the guest room near my room ready and we’ll discuss this later,” Bucky said with a wave of his hand and turned back to his plate, effectively dismissing Steve.

Steve had to bite his tongue from arguing. He didn’t want to wait till later to discuss this. He wanted to argue now about how stupid and dangerous this was. But he made the mistake of glancing over to Y/N.

She sat staring at Steve, a torn expression on her face. As if she knew he wasn’t comfortable and was debating on arguing herself. When she locked eyes with him, a tiny smile grew on her face along with an apologetic look in her eyes. He didn’t know why, couldn’t possibly explain it at that moment, he felt the mounting frustration just fizzle out of him. He heard the wolf inside him whine at the conflicted expression on her face. No. He knew he had to get out while he could. 

Biting out a gruff goodbye, Steve turned back and head out the door he came in. His fists were clenched at his side, his heart pounding in his chest. This has never happened not since-No. He threw that thought from his mind. He couldn’t think about that, not the past, not now. It was just a fluke, a freak reaction that he was sure would never happen again. He’d make sure to put as much distance between them as he could. The house was big enough and their rooms far enough apart. It would be easy. He wouldn’t have to worry.

While the alpha marched on to his shared home to tell Natasha to keep up with what she was doing, the trees and sky watched on. They knew it wasn’t a fluke, that things happen for a reason. Only time would tell how their stories would play. If they didn’t go down the paths they were meant to, then it could be fixed. It would only require a gentle nudge, and everything would fall in the right direction. Perhaps there would be a lull before the storm, a sense of reprieve before the panic. The birds did their part, now it was the skies turn.


	6. Chapter 6

After Steve’s hasty retreat, Bucky and Y/N finished their dinner in relative silence. Bucky tried not to show how annoyed he truly was, but Y/N could tell from the tenseness in his shoulders that the interaction bothered him more than he let on. It also could have been how he was aggressively stabbing at his meatballs with his fork.

The sun was beginning to set when he led her out the back door. He was explaining something to her about his house, she wasn’t paying attention when a strange feeling washed over her. Y/N froze on the steps down when she felt a pulse, the hairs on her arms standing on end. She sucked in a sharp breath when a strange wave of blue light came from under the wooden steps and passed along the tips of the blades of the grass in front of her. Y/N watched in alarm as the thin glowing line moved at a leisurely pace, breaking around Bucky’s feet before connecting once passed by. She watched with morbid fascination as the light did the same with the trees, rocks, and houses before it disappeared out of her line of sight. It was pretty, she thought distantly, if not completely unnatural and in every way terrifying.

Bucky hadn’t noticed her stop, too busy talking about Natasha and her antics. When he didn’t get an immediate response, he turned back to Y/N where she still stood on the stairs, her eyes wide in terror. Frowning, Bucky walked back the short distance.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” He asked gently. Y/N’s tried to open her mouth to reply, but she found it hard to find the right set of words. It only caused Bucky’s worry to grow the longer her silence went on. “Y/N?”

Gently, he placed his hand on top of hers. She jumped and her eyes drifted to his in a haze.

“I-.” She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She wanted to tell him about the light, to badger him until she got the answers she wanted. Every fiber in her being was screaming for answers to whatever the hell this place was. Completely reasonable in her opinion. Clearly, this place wasn’t exactly human. But so far, she hasn’t managed a straight answer from any of them. The uneasiness settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t tell him. She was alone in this. Clearing her throat, Y/N finally replied. “Nothing.”

Bucky cocked his head to the side and eyed her curiously. He knew she was hiding something from him. He could smell the change in her emotions, sharp and bitter like burnt cinnamon. She was nervous, a touch scared and incredibly uncertain. It made the wolf inside him restless. He had to bite back the whine ready to burst from his chest, startling himself with its reaction. His wolf never did that, always letting him take the lead. Bucky immediately dropped his hand back to his side, needing to let sever that contact between them.

“If you sure.” He said slowly and took a step back. Y/N hesitated to step on the grass, her thoughts gnawing at the back of her mind. Bucky watched her inner turmoil, his scowl growing the longer she hesitated and the heavier her scent grew. Bucky was ready to step in, but whatever hesitancy Y/N was stuck in, she shook it off and pushed forward.

Forcing a shaky smile at Bucky, Y/N stepped down onto the grass. If he noticed the shake in her fingers and the way her smile didn’t reach her eyes, he didn’t mention it. He waited for her to follow, and the two fell in line as he led her to his house along the dirt road.

“I hope you like the room. We don’t usually have guests, but it’s always set up in case my parents come in to visit.” Bucky said to fill the quiet.

“Oh, you’re parents live someplace else?” Y/N perked up at the topic change, willing to take anything to get her mind off things.

“Yep. They used to live here, but they moved to Arizona a few years back. Somethin’ about needing a warmer climate.” Bucky chuckled and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Steve’s ma still lives here, but she’s got her own place further up the mountain. She’ll come up every Sunday to have breakfast with us before she goes off to shop in the town though. So really the guest rooms are just used as big storage rooms.”

“Well at least you have someplace for them to stay.”

Bucky snorted. “It makes it harder to get rid of them when they do come to visit. What about you? Where are your parents?”

“They’re living in a suburb right outside the city. Not too far from where I live so, I can go visit whenever I want. Not that I get much of a chance with my job.” She rolled her eyes. Bucky raised a brow.

“Oh? Don’t like your job?”

“It’s not that, entirely.” Y/N let out a heavy sigh. She noticed the road they walked down led away from the clearing and into the thicker forest. Despite not knowing the slightest idea where she was, she didn’t feel an ounce of unease being with Bucky. It was just the forest that freaked her out. “I like it well enough, but it’s just… A lot. It’s actually why I decided to come out here for the week. To relax and get away from the hustle and bustle. Doin’ a bang-up job of that.” She remarked dryly and glared at her wrist. Bucky laughed softly and shook his head, his pretty grey eyes dancing with mirth.

“Has it been everything you’ve hoped and dream?”

“Oh yeah.” Y/N rolled her eyes. “Everything’s going according to plan.”

Bucky nudged her with his shoulder, smiling widely at her. It was nice to see her joking in such a short amount of time, all things considered. He turned right on a road and led them up a steep hill. The further they went up the mountain the thicker the tree line grew and the steeper the incline became. She also noticed the way the road cut through the trees but didn’t take more room than necessary to make way for the road. It was clear to her they wanted to blend in the environment. Almost as if they were hiding.

Eventually, after Y/N realized without a shadow of a doubt she was not in shape enough to be traipsing up the side of a mountain, the road lead them to what she assumed was Bucky’s and Steve’s house. Y/N stopped at the top of the road and hunch over with a wheeze, bracing her good hand on her knee. While she struggled to breathe, she caught sight of Bucky out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t look slightly fazed by their climb, not a single hair looked out of place.

“You all good?” Bucky teased. She glared at him and stuck out her tongue.

“You shush. Mountain boy.” She grumbled. Now that she wasn’t gasping for air and her side stopped cramping, Y/N looked over to the house.

It was smaller in size than the main building, but not tiny by any stretch of the word. It was a magnificent two-story wood cabin with a balcony and a wraparound porch perched near the cliffside, the back of the house overlooking the clearing below. There were a couple rocking chairs sitting out on the porch, and a few wooden tables between them. It looked straight out of a travel magazine. The house was adorable, quaint and screamed ‘lumberjacks in the woods.’ 

“It’s nothin’ fancy but it gets the job done,” Bucky said sheepishly. Y/N shot him a baffled look.

“What are you talking about? I love it!” She exclaimed.

Bucky’s ears went pink and he grunted in response, kicking the dirt with the toe of his boot. Her praise made his heart skip and the wolf inside him practically purred in response. An echoing rumble behind them made him pause and glance up at the darkening sky. The clouds off in the distance looked threatening and dark. It made Y/N’s stomach drop.

“Huh.” Bucky clicked his tongue. “Wasn’t supposed to rain for the rest of the week. Let’s get inside and I’ll show you your room.”

Y/N sent the clouds one last concerned glance before following him inside. She was surprised to see the inside was actually decorated tastefully, if not on the simple side. The front entryway led straight into the living room and she could see the kitchen and dining room off the left. There was a large black couch with a few blankets tossed on the back, a love seat and a giant flat screen tv mounted on the wall above the fireplace to the right. Dark shades covered the wall of windows, similarly like the main house. She wondered if the view was as breathtaking as she thought it would be.

“Kitchens there on the left, feel free to anything in the fridge. The TV has full satellite, so you’re welcomed to use it and watch whatever you want. I just warn you not to delete Steve’s recordings of Chopped. He might have a meltdown again.” He chuckled unabashedly. “Steve’s room is upstairs to the left with the second spare room and mine is on the first floor here down this hall. Yours is right across from mine. Don’t worry. You’ll have your own bathroom down the hall so you don’t have to share with little old me.”

Y/N giggled at the wink he sent her way and followed him down the hall. He showed her the bathroom before leading her to her room.

“If I assume right,” Bucky began as he opened the door. “Ah, yeah, she grabbed it.”

Sitting on the floor next to a desk against a window was the backpack Y/N hadn’t realized she had been missing. She had other more important things to worry about than the pack, not like it contained anything valuable anyway.

“Natasha had taken it while you were unconscious and tried to dry what she could.” Bucky leaned against the door frame and glanced around. Y/N stepped in and headed towards the backpack. “You said you were camping near here?”

“Huh?” Y/N paused her shuffling through the pack. Her books, while crinkled, had been dried and the bookmark returned in place. “Oh, yeah on the nature reserve. I don’t remember the campsite number, but it was the closest to the waterfall. Hopefully, no one steals my stuff, or well, my dad’s stuff.”

Bucky nodded slowly, his brow creasing in thought. He shook his head after a moment and nodded to the stack of clothes on the desk. “Well, Natasha’s made herself at home and grabbed you some of my shirts and pants for you. There's towels in the bathroom closet and I think there’s some conditioner and shampoo from when Becca stayed over.”

“Becca?”

“My sister.” Bucky sighed, sounding annoyed but the small upturn of the corner of his lips told Y/N he really wasn’t as bothered as he sounded. “She likes to drop in from time to time, unannounced of course.”

Y/N turned to ask more about his family, however, Bucky’s head snapped up and spun to glare down the hall. He wiped the emotions on his face, his features shifting into irritation. Y/N heard a door open and slam closed, the force rattling the house. She sent a worried look down the hall. She didn’t have to see who walked into know just who it could be. Bucky let out a slow calming breath and sent Y/N a strained smile over his shoulder.

“Make yourself comfortable. I need to go… handle something.” Bucky muttered before spinning at heel and stalked off towards the sound. Y/N was fully aware he meant he had to handle a certain someone. Letting out her own heavy sigh and went to pull a shirt and pair of pants from the neatly folded stack.

Now that all the excitement was over, Y/N wanted nothing more than to get out of her river water dried clothes and wash whatever dirt and grime was left in her hair. She stopped and stared at her splint with a scowl. She couldn’t get it wet, nor did she want to take it off and risk injuring herself further. It be would be easier if she could wrap it up but didn’t see anything in the room. She was already picturing the gymnastic routine she’d have to perform to make this work.

Groaning, Y/N grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom. She stopped short when she noticed the box of trash bags sitting on the counter along with tape, body wash, a brand-new toothbrush, toothpaste, and a shower cap. Laughter bubbled out of her mouth. Natasha really did think of everything. Chuckling to herself, Y/N shut the door to start her shower, effectively cutting her off from the storm happening in the living room.

Bucky didn’t mean to leave her so abruptly. But when Steve walked up stinking of rage followed by slamming the door, he needed to say something. He might not like the situation, but he wasn’t going to take it out on her.

“What the fuck is your issue?” Bucky snarled, cornering Steve in the kitchen. Steve turned from where he was searching in the fridge and glared at Bucky. He growled low in his throat, baring his teeth at the other.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Steve snapped back and grabbed a beer before he slammed the fridge door shut.

“Would you quit doing that?” Bucky hissed, his face twisting into a snarl. “And the hell you don’t. I could smell you before you even walked in the door. You’re pissed and taking it out on the house cause you know I’ll skin you alive if you take it out on her.”

“So you think,” Steve grumbled and downed half the bottle.

Bucky narrowed his eyes at Steve and stalked around the island to stand toe to toe with Steve. Steve glare never wavered as he lowered the bottle from his lips. There wasn’t much of height difference, maybe an inch or two, but Steve still managed to accomplish looking down his nose at Bucky.

“The thing is, I do.” He growled. “You aren’t that fucking subtle Rogers. Especially since your doin’ a bang-up job at keeping your alpha macho on low. Just because you don’t like having a human here doesn’t mean you need to be a little shit. Thought you’re Ma raised you better.”

Steve snarled and shoved Bucky back, or at least attempted to. Bucky didn’t budge, his hackles rising and teeth snapping in retaliation. Anyone else might have buckled under the strength and secretly Bucky was surprised by how much force behind the shove, but he wasn’t an alpha for nothing.

Bucky was right once again. Steve was really hating hearing that phrase in his inner monologue. He was losing control of his power, could taste it in the air around him. Steve usually always had better control of himself, the rage, power, and everything. The loss made him even angrier. All because he couldn’t figure out the woman and what she was doing to him.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Steve huffed and stepped around Bucky. He sank onto a barstool and took another drink from his beer. Bucky glared and leaned against the counter, glowering as he did.

“Then why are you acting like this? Why?” Bucky pressed. “Cause it sure as shit doesn’t make any sense to me why you can’t at least be cordial. It’s not like she intended on potentially drowning and getting hurt. If you’re worried about the pack and how they’d handle her being here, don’t. Nat’s already on that. She likes the girl and is our beta for a reason.”

“I’m not worried about the pack,” Steve bit back.

“Then what’s your issue?”

Steve fell silent, glaring at the bottle. To be completely honest, he didn’t know. True, he wasn’t completely jazzed about her being here in their territory. Except he could handle the few ruffled furs and angry snaps from the members. There was something about _her_ that stood out to him. He might have only said a few words to her, but it was still there. _That’s _what was bothering him. Why did his wolf raise it’s head for the first time in years? It’s never shown interest. Not since-

“Um.”

A soft voice behind him caused him to jump, his eyes going wide. Bucky even seemed startled by her quiet approach. They weren’t that deep in conversation to miss hearing her walk up, were they?

“Sorry.” Y/N said sheepishly when both men turned to stare at her in shock. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. But could one of you help?”

Bucky’s eyes dropped to the back and tape in her hand, blinking in confusion. Steve frowned and tried to figure out what she meant.

“I can’t get my splint wet and don’t want to risk taking it off and well… Slipping in the shower.” Y/N chuckled, ducking her chin to her chest. A slow grin spread on Bucky’s face before he pushed off the counter to help.

“Can’t have that can we?” Bucky teased.

“I figured we all had enough excitement for today.”

Steve watched quietly as Bucky helped tape the bag on her hand, his brows creasing in thought. She giggled at something Bucky said and Steve felt his breath hitch at the sound. Biting back a growl, he shook his head and glared at the bottle once again.

“There,” Bucky said looking down at the finished product. “Let me know if you need help taking it off.”

Y/N thanked him and Steve heard her soft footsteps retreat back down the hall. Bucky let out a sigh and slid in next to Steve.

“I just…” Bucky began slowly. “I just need you to not treat her like you wanted her to drown in the river. She’s actually really sweet and I know if you gave her a chance, you’d actually like her.”

Steve grumbled and finished what was left of the beer. He let out a deep sigh and sent Bucky a halfhearted glare.

“Fine.” He muttered and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll try to keep my attitude in check.”

“That’s all I ask pal.”

The two fell silent, listening to the distant sound of the shower running and the dark rumble of the clouds above them.

“You know I don’t like you sometimes, punk,” Steve muttered. Bucky snorted and nodded.

“Right back at you jerk.”

The two exchanged lopsided smirks, whatever cloud hanging over them both gone. They’d be fine, that they knew at least. If only they knew of the other clouds that hung heavy and dark above their home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready?! Are you ready?! Are you ready?! (Imagine that in an announcers voice) Cause things are starting to pick uppp!!! Gah I’m so excited about this chapter. FINALLY. Things are happening and I am HERE FOR IT. I hope you all enjoy and as always please let me know what you think! Even it’s you smashing your face on the keyboard I will adore it! ( I swear even though I forget to reply I read all your comments and I love you all so much!!) Ennjjoyy!!!

A deafening boom sent Y/N’s eyes flying open wide, her heart in her throat. She shot up in the bed, gasping in a panic. What the hell was that? She stared around the dark room in wait. A flash came from the window, lighting the room for a split second. Another rumble grew, softer this time and swelled into a louder crash that vibrated the room. Y/N’s stomach dropped. The storm had come.

She shoved the blankets off the bed and ran to the window, throwing open the curtains. A groan bubbled up in her throat. It was dark but she could hear the rain beating against the window, the wind roaring through the trees. _No, it can’t! _Yes, the clouds hovered above when she fell asleep that night, but she hoped it wouldn’t rain. It couldn’t. Yet here it was. Every bit as treacherous as it looked hanging above.

There was another clap of thunder that caused her to jump with a start. And then she heard the groan of the power shutting off, the light from the alarm clock on the bedside table going black. Shrouded in darkness, Y/N felt her stomach drop. There was an annoyed curse from the hall and a thump before quickly retreating footsteps.

Stumbling over to the door, she grasped around for the handle. Peaking around the corner, she could barely make out anything in the darkness. The occasional lightning strike lit up the hall, showing she was alone. She took in a deep breath and stepped carefully into the hall, running her fingers along the wall. She followed the hall, only stubbing her toes twice and cursing wood baseboards before she came to the living room.

The shades had been pulled up on the windows and showed the room when the lightning struck through the sky. She vaguely made out two large shapes in the kitchen by the back door huddled together. Even over the rain pelting on the rooftops above, she could hear their soft murmurs as the spoke to each other.

“Shit, this is worse than I thought it would be.” Steve, she realized, muttered irritated.

“I’m just annoyed the generator went out.” Bucky exhaled.

“Tony said it was all good the last he checked. The backup generator should have flipped on when the main stopped working. I don’t understand. One of us needs to go check it out.”

Y/N felt around the living room, making sure she didn’t trip over the furniture and made her way quietly across the room. Her eyes had begun to adjust, and she could finally make out Bucky and Steve standing side by side glaring out the windows

“I’m not going out in this!” Bucky bit back sharply.

“What happened?” Y/N called out behind them. The two men nearly leaped out of their skin. Bucky yelped and spun around, while Steve slammed against the windowpane in fright. The twang from the glass pulled a snort from her lips, and Steve shot her an irritated glare. Struggling to stop her giggle at their expense, Y/N bit her lip and apologized. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Jesus, doll.” Bucky clutched his chest and sucked in air. “When the hell did you get there?”

Y/N shrugged. “Not long. Something about a generator?”

Steve, still pressed against the window, grunted.

“Generator went out and now the backup isn’t working. We were deciding who gets to go check it out.”

“In this?” Y/N asked in disbelief. “Absolutely not! We can go without power until this passes.”

There was a growl, intense and furious. Y/N jumped at the sound, the rumble from the growl vibrating in her chest. What in the world? She thought dumbfounded. It sounded like a growl from a dog, an incredibly angry canine. Did they have a dog and she didn’t see it? What made it so angry?

“You’re telling us what to do now?” Steve snarled.

“Steve.” Bucky snapped and stepped between them. “She’s right. We can barely see two feet in front of us as it. The winds are fast enough it could bring down a tree and we’d never know until it’s on top of us. We don’t need to go out until it blows over.”

The rumble came back, not the thunder above, but the rumble from the enraged snarl. Y/N’s breath caught, and her body began to shake in fear. She glanced around the room, trying to find the source of the sound. She didn’t know where it was or what it was, but she knew danger when she heard it. It was so close she could feel the power in the vibrations shaking her bones.

“Steve,” Bucky urged, dropping his voice low. He placed a hand on Steve’s arm. “Stop. You’re scaring her.”

Steve huffed and pushed him aside, stomping around Y/N towards the stairs. She watched his shadowy figure move without hesitation up the stairs out of her sight, taking the dark cloud he wore over him with.

“Sorry about him.” Bucky sighed. “He’s a little… edgy. This was a freak storm.”

Y/N trembled slightly, still shook up over the mysterious noise. Bucky must have seen her tremor, he reached out and gently rubbed her arms. _What was Steve’s deal with me?_ She thought miserably. He’s hated her on-site, and she had no idea why.

“He hates me…” Y/N mumbled. She heard Bucky inhale sharply. He tugged her into a hug and held her tight.

“No, he doesn’t,” He reassured. “Steve’s always been a little careful with new people. He just has to sit and get to know you.”

Y/N really doubted it. She pretty much got the message loud and clear. Steve didn’t like her and most likely wouldn’t be changing his opinion anytime soon. Knowing there was nothing else he could say on the matter, Bucky decided it was best to leave the living room and move from the spot of discomfort. Gently nudging her back to the hall, Bucky held her securely against his side.

“Let’s go back to bed. Like you said, we can’t do anything about the generator till the storm passes. Might as well get some more sleep.” He said softly.

Y/N nodded and leaned against his side. His heat soaked into her body, chasing away the strange chill she felt from earlier. Her breath caught when his impossibly warm hand settled on her hip and pulled her closer. His thin t-shirt did little to hide the pure slab of muscles he was made of and she could feel everything pressed against his side. The smell of a citrus body wash and a smell she could only pinpoint as _him_ hit her nose and warmed her insides.

Her cheeks started burning when her mind began to wander. _Nope, nope, nope_ she thought quickly. She can’t think about that right now. Bucky was just being nice; she didn’t need to go and salivate all over him just cause he was making sure she got to her room safe. _Right, focus on that,_ she thought. He seemed able to cross the large room and miss all the furniture. She chalked it up to him living here long enough to know the layout like the back of his hand.

“Fortunately, we have a new generator that we can hook up if the other two don’t work.”

Y/N snorted. “You have a back up for your back up?”

“Well!” Bucky chuckled. “We wanted to prepare ourselves, and clearly, this is proof enough we aren’t totally crazy on getting the third one.”

“Yeah okay.” Y/N laughed and nodded. “Fair point.”

He stopped at her open door and gave her hip a gentle squeeze. She titled her head towards his face and could see the soft grin on his face as he stared back. The storm still raged on outside, but inside there was a stillness in the air that made Y/N’s stomach flip. It occurred on her that she didn’t feel out uncomfortable in his arms. In fact, she felt almost at home against him. There was a pull to him she couldn’t ignore, welcoming and warm. She hadn’t realized they both were leaning in until she felt his hot breath against her lips.

A flash of lightning light up the hall, briefly giving her a glance of Bucky’s face. Dark grey eyes bore into hers, the lust unmistakable in his stare. It tempted her to close the distance and finally give in to the call. A second later the crash of thunder overhead made Y/N jump, effectively cutting off whatever spell she was under.

Reluctantly, Bucky let her slip from his grip. He fingers drug over her hip, skimming across her skin from her shirt that had ridden up under his arm. It sent a jolt down Y/N’s back. She had to step back, to get away from this. She was stunned how her body reacted and how willing she was to lean in and press her lips against his. From the look in his eyes, Bucky wouldn’t have protested.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Bucky said softly and pulled back. Y/N whispered a soft goodbye, barely audible over the rain on the roof above. She didn’t move until Bucky’s door clicked softly behind him. Jerking out of her stupor, Y/N flung herself into the room and shut the door behind her. She was trying to forget how her legs began to tremble and her insides turned to molten lava at the heated expression he sent her way before shutting his door.

_Nope, _she thought and threw herself on the bed. _There is no chance in hell this could ever happen._

Right?

* * *

Bucky shut the door, his grip on the metal handle so tight his knuckles went white. He almost lost control. He never lost control. His wolf, the animal inside him he’s spent years having solid control over was howling at him to go back and take what was his. _Mine. Mine. My mate._

His breath caught in his throat. No that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t his mate. There was no way. For one, she was human. And two, she was human! His wolf had to have it wrong. She wasn’t his and never would be.

Nevertheless, even Bucky couldn’t deny that something changed. Maybe it was because she was human that he didn’t notice it before. The pull he felt, the little tug in his heart that drew him to her. It’s why he stopped at the waterfall.

There was something about her smell that intrigued him, and then something about her that caught his attention. If he hadn’t caught her scent in the wind, would she have ever slipped? Maybe she was meant to, and perhaps if he ignored her call, there was no doubt she would be at the bottom of the river. Instead, he listened to the little voice. It led him to save her, spend all day with her, holding her and watching over her as he fretted about her injuries. He felt the tug but that could have been his compassion attracting him. Why is it now that his wolf had it’s full attention on her?

Bucky sank down on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall of glass windows in front of him. He didn’t see the rain pelting the glass or hear the wind howling through the trees. His mind only lingered on her.

Perhaps it was her being so close, sharing the same space as her. She didn’t smell like it yet; she had only been in the guest room for a short time. But it was enough time for her smell to start to twist and merge with his. Even now, he could smell her if he focused. It was soothing and cozy. Like home.

Earlier, she somehow managed to sneak up on them in the kitchen. They didn’t hear her come up, she had to have stumbled through the room in the dark and no doubt should have run into a few things. Even the rain couldn’t mask her stumbling. Only one person could ever fly under their radar, a shifter’s animal would only ever be at ease with the presence of someone that it didn’t see as a threat. He didn’t hear here because his wolf knew already. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Now the reaction he had when he saw her at the waterfall made sense.

_Holy shit. She’s my mate._

Falling back against the mattress, Bucky felt all the air rush from his lungs. He found his mate. Somehow, luck decided to go out and find her for him. 

He went over the emotions he felt standing at the door with her, holding her against his side. It felt so right like everything had finally fallen into place. He could smell her so strongly, could see each and every breath he took. His eyes were better than hers after all. He could see the dark as well as he could in the day. So he saw it all. The way her breath hitched when he tightened his grip on her waist. How her eyes darkened, and pupils grew when she leaned in. Her smell was growing thickly sweet, like honey waiting to be devoured. He was so close to tasting her, his wolf was howling for a kiss. But the spell broke at the clap of thunder and he needed to run. He had to. She was injured and in a strange location. He couldn’t take advantage of her. He wouldn’t.

Even with his wolf snarling in his mind, Bucky knew he couldn’t act on this. Not when it meant he thought of Steve. Steve showed no signs of her being his mate. And that’s what worried Bucky the most.

They were a set pair. Odd as it was, two alpha’s a pair. In nature, it would never happen or ever work out. However, it worked with them. They grew up together and did everything together, despite being from different packs.

Steve and Bucky’s fathers were both close, they had gone to the same college and met through their classes. Their mothers would always roll their eyes when remembering the two older alphas in school. Steve’s mom had mentioned once it was like seeing twins separated at birth with how similar they were alike personality-wise. It was what made things work between them. The two decided to move to the mountains with their packs but have their own respective territories.

It wasn’t uncommon for them to meet up with pack members from the other. It helped give them more protection, to trade off watching over the younger members. That’s what Steve and Bucky did. Steve was smaller, hadn’t quite gotten into his skin just yet, which meant Bucky made it his business to watch over his friend until he could hold his own in a fight. To them, it just made sense. Of course, like in any pack, there were always those few who didn’t like the notion of another pack being so close to their territories, but over time and after many disputes, they grew to appreciate and recognize the good it brought.

When it came time for Steve and Bucky both to step up and take over for their fathers it only made sense to combine the packs. Steve and Bucky were a pair, one wasn’t far from the other. The packs had time to brace themselves for the strange but obvious decision. It wasn’t until they became one pack that Steve and Bucky recognized what this meant. It hadn’t dawned on either of them until they both stood side by side as Alphas.

While they might not be physically attracted to each other, they realized there was a bond between them. Bucky was attuned to Steve’s emotions and vice versa. If he thought about, he always had been able to feel Steve’s emotions, even as kids. For instance, Bucky could feel the rage and frustration Steve had constantly boiling under the surface. Bucky had been worried about him for a while now. 

Going further back, he could still remember with Steve before they-. _No_. Bucky shook his head cutting that memory off in its track. He wasn’t going to remember that. It was a mistake. A mistake that made Steve how he was now. A mistake that he wished they could take back.

Groaning, Bucky rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. Anything to stop Y/N’s smell from invading his senses. He’d have to keep fighting this pull, to ignore the call, he needed to. He couldn’t regret something if he never acted on it.

Right?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter, I wanted to break it up before I went on for another few thousand words lol. I hope you all enjoy!

Steve cracked an eye open, glowering at the sun that beamed through his windows. The storm must have passed sometime last night. He hadn’t remembered to close his window blinds after he fell into bed, too busy trying to shut his mind up than to think about it. He shot a glance at his clock, the blank screen staring back. He bit back a snarl and begrudgingly sat up.

That’s right. The powers out. Sometime in the middle of the night, something caused both their generators to shut off. Reluctantly, he pushed himself off the bed to get ready. He’d need to go and check and prayed they weren’t destroyed. He shuddered at the thought. It had been a pain and half to get those generators up the mountain and he’d be damned if he had to go drag more up.

After brushing his teeth and running some oil through his beard, he slipped into a fresh pair of jeans and button-down flannel. He snagged a pair of socks, his shoes left at the door to not track mud through the house per Bucky’s demands, and headed to his door. He paused with his hand on the door handle, a frown tugging on his lips.

A whine was bubbling in the back of his throat, but it wasn’t from himself willingly. His wolf was trying to claw its way out, excited to finally be out of this room and closer to its real reason of excitement. Not to mention it was still upset with how he snapped yesterday. Steve heard about it all last night, the howling bouncing around his head until sleep finally claimed him. The thin barrier from the rest of the house was the only thing keeping him from losing control.

A growl bubbled up to his chest, this time his own, frustrated at his hesitation. This was ridiculous, he snarled and nearly ripped the door off its hinges. An unthreatening woman shouldn’t cause him so much turmoil, especially not a human no less. This was his house too. If he wanted to go down and check his generators, he was going to.

He snarled at a particularly loud whine from his wolf and shoved it back down. He stomped through the house and jammed his feet in his socks, then his shoes. He was still seething when he walked over to the generator and stopped short. Another snarl ripped through his chest, the animalistic sounds echoing off the trees and sent the birds and creatures scattering. Of fucking course, he hissed.

Despite having cleared the surrounding area of the trees to keep just this from happening, a rouge tree had fallen and landed right on their generators, crushing it. It was clear why they had no power. At least for this one. It didn’t answer why the second hadn’t turned on, but a quick walk around cleared that up. The tree didn’t spare a generator, fortunately. Growling once again, he went around to the other side of the garage and glared at the third they had set aside just for this. It was perfectly fine, thankfully still under the tarp untouched.

Huffing, Steve proceeded to drag it out from under the tarp and over to the broken generators. There he could hook them up and then work on getting the broken tree off. If he was lucky, they might only need minor fixes on one, since the top of the tree that landed on the generators wasn’t nearly as thick as the base that crushed the first. He didn’t hold hope to think that both of them could be saved though.

“Need a hand?”

Steve paused mid drag, glancing over his shoulder to Bucky. He squinted and grunted in response. Bucky hadn’t expected anything less from Steve and went over to the other side. Together they lifted the generator, straining only slightly at the weight and carried it over to the other two. Bucky heaved a sigh and wiped his hands on his pants, glaring at the other two under the tree.

“That’s going to be a bitch and a half.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair and glared at the trees too. He let out his own puff of air in irritation and walked over to look over the damage.

“I’ll get Sam and Clint up here to clear this.” He grumbled, kicking the dirt beside the tree. “They’d been wanting to down another tree for firewood anyways. Two birds one stone.”

“Nah,” Bucky smirked. “You just don’t wanna deal with this shit.”

“Can you blame me?” Steve raised a brow, smirking right back. The fresh air seemed to do be doing his mind well, maybe it was the heavy lifting he had to do too, but he could feel the earlier frustration melting away.

“Nope. Matter of fact I was gonna volunteer them too.” Bucky chuckled. He watched as Steve began to wrestle with plugs stuck underneath the thick tree, stewing on the real reason why he decided to come outside. A frown tugged at the corner of his lips. Yet he still bit his tongue.

Steve could tell something was bothering Bucky. He didn’t need their bond to know that Bucky was simmering where he stood. His brow always creased the way it was when he was thinking, the crease growing the longer he flipped between opening his mouth or not. Steve huffed and stood, leveling Bucky with a stare.

“Well. Out with it.”

Bucky shoved a hand in his hair and muttered to himself before he addressed Steve.

“We need to talk about Y/N.”

“Don’t think we do.” Steve retorted sharply. He walked away from Bucky to wrestle with the tree branches out of the way to grab the wires. He didn’t even blink when there was a growl behind him.

“Yes, we do,” Bucky protested and went to help. “You have got to stop treating her like shit Steve. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

When Steve didn’t acknowledge him, it sparked further irritation in Bucky. Fine, he wanted to play childish, he’d get childish.

“She thinks you hate her.”

That caused a reaction. Steve froze, his breath catching in his throat. He cleared his throat and quickly tried to pretend he didn’t just act like he got kicked in the stomach.

“Why does that matter to me?” He muttered, shoving the plugs in place.

“You know why.” Bucky shot back. “It’s why you’re so against getting to know her.”

Steve clenched his eyes shut and stood tall. He opted to not reply and flicked the switch, the generator roaring to life. The outdoor lights flicked on. The sensor would need to be reset, he tried to distract himself. He turned back to Bucky, face void of emotions. Bucky nearly snarled.

“Look,” Bucky said through clenched teeth. “I know what happened with-.” Steve flashed his teeth before Bucky could finish his sentence. “No! You don’t get to pretend it never happened! Not anymore! Not since it’s clear you’re using it as an excuse to treat her- our fucking mate- like shit! Don’t look at me like that!”

Steve jerked his chin away and clenched his fists at his side. He didn’t have to stand here and listen to this. Yet he knew if he tried to run off, Bucky would step in his way.

“Act as detached as you want. But you know it, I know it, hell I’m pretty sure she even knows it some level.” Bucky continued. “You can’t let what happened with Peggy ruin what we can have with Y/N. That was a fluke. I’m sorry, but it was. This though, this is real.”

Steve flinched. Ten years had done nothing to lessen the blow of the memory, and now Bucky was using it as a tool? No, Bucky could follow him if he wanted but Steve was done listening.

“Powers back on,” Steve growled. “I’m going to go get Sam and Clint to clear this and then Natasha and I will go out and patrol. There might be more trees that need to be checked.”

Without another word, Steve walked away. Bucky let him. He watched his friend and bond-mate walk-off, heart heavy. There was so much agony seeping through their bond. Bucky couldn’t do anything about it though. Steve needed to move on himself. Maybe, just maybe, Y/N would help him finally come to terms that what happened is done and Steve could finally look to the future.


End file.
